The present invention relates to improved patient compliance devices, systems, and methods. The devices and systems are connected via one or more machine to machine (M2M) communication networks that communicate with one or more medicine storage and dispensing devices. Methods for monitoring and increasing patient compliance with regard to timely and accurate dispensing of medicines using machine to machine networks are provided.
Many people take one or more medicine or supplements, such as minerals or vitamins, several times a day to maintain or improve their health. Often, these medications or supplements must be taken at specific times each day. If medications or supplements are not taken at the proper times, individual health may be jeopardized. For example, failure to take a prescribed medication for treatment of heart disease can result in severe health consequences such as a heart attack or stroke. Similarly, patients that seek to take extra doses before the prescribed time interval can be in danger of an overdose. Non-compliance with a prescribed dose regimen includes patients who fail to take a dose at a prescribed time or patients who take one or more extra doses that are not in compliance with the minimum time between dose of the particular prescription or label instructions for ingestion.
Further, non-compliance with a prescribed regimen of one or more medications, particularly in the elderly and the aging population of “baby boomers”, can result in billions of dollars of unnecessary health care costs.
Many people who take one or more medication or supplement a day are able to take medications or supplements without assistance. However, many people who take one or more medication or supplement a day require a reminder or the assistance of a care taker. Care takers may be one or more members of the patient's family or other individuals, such as friends, nurses, nurse's aids and the like. It can be difficult for a patient or a care taker to organize a patient's medications or supplements to insure compliance with a predetermined schedule. Further, it can be extremely difficult to monitor compliance with multiple medication schedules. Failure to properly monitor compliance can result in catastrophic health consequences to the patient and high levels of caretaker anxiety, which can also lead to increased health problems for care givers.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,195,330 to Coe et al. discloses interactive medicine organizers comprising integrated software and hardware elements and multifunctional interactive wireless devices, such as smart phones, to provide assistance to individuals who need to organize or monitor the administration of one or more medications.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,670,865 to Coe et al. discloses interactive medicine organizers and methods comprising integrated software and hardware elements and multifunctional interactive wireless devices to provide assistance to individuals who need to organize or monitor the administration of one or more medications. In one embodiment, an apparatus has a dispenser body and a housing. A lockable sliding door is connected to the housing to allow a user access to items stored within the housing. A rotating tray has one or more chambers. A docking station is connected to the housing. A multifunctional interactive wireless device, such as a smart phone, can dock with the docking station, can command the tray to a plurality of positions, and can command the door to slide between a plurality of locked or unlocked positions. The device executes a software application for determining the plurality of positions of the tray, and the door based on a data set input by a user. The commanding can be performed by physical docking of the multifunctional interactive wireless device with the docking station or wirelessly without physical docking of the multifunctional interactive wireless device with the docking station.
U.S. Pub. No. 20160058661, Pether et al., discloses an apparatus for improving patient compliance comprising a housing. The housing has a lid and a lock for locking or unlocking the lid. A sensor can be configured to detect a position of the lid. A wireless transceiver is used for transmitting the position of the lid to a smart device application. A smart device is capable of wirelessly commanding the lock to an open position or a closed position. The smart device runs a smart device application for determining a pre-determined time for reminding a user to unlock the lid based on a medication data set input by the user and for receiving and recording the position of the lid.
The present invention provides novel devices, systems, and methods for improving the ease of user compliance with a programmable schedule for reminding a user to take one or more medications or supplements and monitoring the compliance for early intervention in the case of non-compliance.